Weeder.



R. L. BENGE.

WEEDER.

APPLICATION F1150 MAY 8. 1914.

Mmw Patented Apr.13,1915.

Inl-1% 1. i vl 1HE MORRIS PETERS Co., PHQT 7-LITHa` WASHINGroN, D C

BALEH L. BENGE, OF L'EXNGTO'N, OREGON.

WEEDEB..

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr.. 13, 1915.

Application filed. ."way 8, '1914. Serial No. 837,177.

To alli/071cm it may concern Be it known that I, RALPH L. Benen, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lexington, in the county of Morrow and State of Oregon, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in VVeeders, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in weeders `and more particularly to an improvement in the construction and arrangement of parts of the type of device shown in the patent granted to me December 23, 1913, No. 1,082,222. ln using devices of this type it is at times found unnecessary to provide a raking action in connection with the weeder, as for instance where the ground is practically free of stubble or other trash, and under such conditions I have found it desirable toprovide a lighter draft to the weeder and thus make the apparatus more efficient with respect to capacity. 1n order to produce this result and still obtain the advantage accruing by thetype of device set forth in the said patent, have made certain changes and additions in the construction and arrangement of parts such as will enable me to not only provide the operation set forth in said patent but in addition, permit of the use of the same apparatus, under the conditions above noted, by simply making a few changes, thereby permitting the same construction to meet various conditions and obtain the best results under all conditions. For this -purpose l provide the apparatus in such form that the teeth are removable and are substituted by a plurality of runners adjustable to provide for the variations in the draft referred to more particularly in said patent, the changes from teeth to runners being readily provided at will.

To these and other ends, the nature of which will be readily understood as the invention is hereinafter disclosed, said invention consists in the improved construction and combination of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

ln the accompanying drawings, in which similar reference characters indicate similar parts in each of the views, Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved weeder structure showing the raking teeth in position. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the runners in position, the teeth having been removed.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the weeder, showing more particularly the clamping arrangement of the teeth. Fig. l 1s a det-ail sectional view taken through the tooth-bar and showing the arrangement of the runner structure. Fig. 5 is a vertical transverse section through the tooth-bar adjacent one of the clips to which the draft appliance is connected.

The tooth-bar, in the present form, is preferably provided by the use of an elongated angle-bar 10, L-shaped in cross-section, a filler 11, preferably of wood, being employed in connection therewith to complete the general bar structure. rfhe filler member 11 is preferably provided with a plurality of vertical grooves 1121 on its forward face, these grooves being adapted to receive the teeth 12, these teeth being of a cross-section greater than the depth of the grooves in order to permit them to be clamped within the grooves by the forward member of the bar 10, the bottom member of said bar being provided with openings 10il for `the passage of the teeth therethrough, these openings being preferably elongated sufficiently to afford the necessary movement to the bar 10 in clamping and releasing the teeth. rlhe two members 10 and 11 of the tooth-bar are preferably secured together by suitable bolts 1.8, these acting to clamp the teeth in position.

rThe runners, indicated generally at 14, are preferably carried by a clip structure, indicated at 14a, the construction being such as to provide a support .for the runner which substantially surrounds the tooth-bar structure and is so arranged as to act as an auxiliary means for clamping the two members of the bar 10 together, the clip structure being so formed as to permit of a ready engagement and disengagement thereof from the bar. The runner is formed with slots 14h by means of which it may be adjusted vertically, such adjustment providing for variation in the inclination of the for- -ward face of the bar and thus enabling the adjustment of the line of draft through the adjustment of the rear platform in the manner contemplated in the structure of the patent and the adjustment of the runners to control the depth of cutting of the cutterbar, the latter being substantially fixed relative to the tooth-bar.

The platform, indicated at 1G is of the general structural type shown in the said placed in patent, the forward ends of the supports 16a being secured to eye bolts 17 passing vertically through the tooth-bar, the supports 16a being secured above and below said bar, the upper supporting element being adjustable by the use of the adjusting nuts 1Gb, somewhat similar to the structure of the patent. Y

The draft members are preferably in the form of clips 18 having the forward portion perforated to receive the the draft appliance.

The cutter-bar is secured to the tooth-bar by the use of vertical eye bolts 20, the connection being above and below the tooth-bar as shown in FigB, it being understood that the openings in the lower portion of the bar 10 through which the eye bolts of the cutterbar and the platform supports extend are suiiiciently elongated to provide for the movements ofthe angle-bar referred to.

It isY preferred, although not absolutely essential, that the teeth and the runners be used interchangeably, the teeth being placed in position when the ground contains trash andv stubble, the teeth in such case acting as a rake in advance of the cutter-bar. When the conditions are such that little .or no trash or stubble is encountered, the teeth are removed and the runner is placed in position, properly adjusted and the weeding action provided by the cutter-bar then takes place vwith the runners traveling on the surface of the ground. The runners may also be employed where it is to simply transport the apparatus, the length of adjustment of the runners being such that they may be position and project downwardly a distance sufficient to cause the bottom shoe of the platform and the runners to act to support the cutter-.bar and the teeth above the ground.

As will be readily understood, a slight htening bolts and clip structures will permit of a sufficient release of the teeth as to enable a ready removal thereof, after which the front member of the bar l0 is clamped against the front face of the member l1 and the runners placed in position, the clip structure of the latter acting as an additional support for the two members of the tooth-bar. The general advantages of this arrangement include the chain links 19 of c ability to readily change the structure to meet various conditions of use and at the same time provide for adjustment of parts so as to vary the line of draft of the weeder as an entirety to produce the most eiiicient service operation; also the provision of a structure which is relatively cheap to manufacture, and which will permit of rough usage without liability of material damage. In addition, the construction provides the various general advantages pertaining to the structure of the patent hereinbefore referred to.

lVhile I have herein shown and described one way in which my invention may be carried out, it will be readily understood that changes and modifications therein may be required or desired to meet the exigencies of use, and I therefore desire it to be understood that I reserve the right to make any and all such changes or modifications as may be necessitated or desired, in so far as the same may fall within the spirit and scope of the invention as expressed in the accompanying claims.

aving thus described my invention, what I claim as new is l. In a weeder, a tooth-bar, a cutter-bar secured thereto, and a platform support carried by said tooth-bar and adjustable to vary the inclination of the bar, said bar being adapted to form a support for runners and raking teeth, the teeth coperating with the adjustability of the platform supports to control the line of draft of the weeder.

2. In a weeder, a tooth-bar formed of an angle member and a filling member removably secured together, said members coperating to provide a clamping action on rake teeth when the latter are in position, a cutter-bar carried by the tooth-bar, a platform support also carried by the tooth-bar and being adjustable to vary the inclination of the bar, rake teeth adapted to be removably and adjustably clamped to the bar, said teeth cooperating with the platform support in controlling the line of draft.

In testimony whereof I hereunto afliX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

RALPH L. BEN GE. lVitnesses:

MERLE CARMICHAEL, W. P. MCMILLAN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). C. 

